Labyrinth or the Really Really Big Maze
by GlacierBlueRose
Summary: Labyrinth parody. Raven finds herself trapped in a giant maze after the goblin king Malchior has taken her three foster siblings away. Now she must venture through the giant maze and meet new friends along the way. Can she rescue the kids in time?
1. Prologue

A/N: Yay! I'm back and I have deemed myself the parody lady as of now. Don't ask me why I just feel in the mood to mess around with other stories/movies. This one is for the labyrinth and I have another based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame… That one is looooong and will be up soon since I'm writing them more or less at the same time. Anyway! On with the story!

_**Prologue: Of spoiled brats and desires.**_

The creatures scampered along the stone floors and giggled amongst themselves. They slapped one another, pushed each other, and a few even bite some of the others. The ones sitting on the floor found something of interest and started to play tug-o-war over the violet polyester scarf. Seeming to grow bored with the game the taller one smacked the smaller one over the head. The diminutive goblin only growled and tackled the bumpy skinned gremlin that held the scarf as laughter erupted throughout the room. A good fight was always celebrated amongst the likes of them. The laughter grew as the shorter goblin grabbed one of the pots and smacked the larger one over the head repeatedly until it got the scarf.

Some of the goblins sat on the table and fought over the left over scrapes on the dish plates while others pushed the weaker ones over the edge of the table. A few of them hit the floor and landed in brownish green muck, making faces as they raised an arm and the goo stretched like gum. Once again the goblins fell into a fit of laughter that echoed all around them. One of the goblins scooped up the muck and flung it across the room, the sticky substance hitting a flying imp in the face. The imp hit the wall and slide down as it tried desperately to yank the sticky mess from its face.

Pots and pans lined the table along with half eaten food and animal bones. One of the bulkier goblins saw a golden opportunity and picked up a pot, tossing it down on the ground. The black pan hit against the plank and crushed it further into the floor, sending the tiny goblin flying through the air. The other creatures watched for a second in silence as the hobgoblin hit the wall before they all fell over cackling. It was clear to see this bunch had a few screws missing from the chair. To prove a point the bulky goblin sat down and the chair collapsed underneath him, wood pieces flying everywhere. The room fell into a fit of giggles once more.

One of the smaller imps staggered over to the curtains that hung in front of the ceiling-to-floor windows. It started to climb the dreadfully tacky décor of light brown fabric with tons of tiny little pictures of yellow grasshoppers. The hairy creature jumped from the top of the curtain and glided over the room.

The room was large with a long table running from one wall to the other across the room. Dozens of chairs lingered erratically about from goblins slacking off and not seating them correctly. The floors were made of gray cement and a giant white shagged rug lined the floors by the entrance ways. There were no steps down into the dining area, only a sudden drop right in front of the entrance. Pots and pans lined the table with strew that not one of the goblins was brave enough to eat. As far as they were considered they would rather eat the rats and any other small vermin that crawled through the holes. Most of them did. Dishes with left over food were all over the floor, table, and even on the window sill. Long ago the house keeper had gone off for a walk and never returned. The King had noticed the mess and said nothing for if he had then there would not be a speck of dust in the place. So lost in observing the room the goblin hit against the stone pillars that ran in a spiral up to the ceiling, holding the room in place. He started to move like water down the spiral until he hit the moldy ground below. Yet again, the goblins fell into a fit of laughter.

"Enough!" A hand moved and caught one of the goblins on the ground to bring it to his face. Cerulean eyes watched the smaller creature as it gulped in fear.

Idiots. The whole lot of them, but they were his idiots and his to do with what he pleased. His blue eyes never left the dark pools of eyes in front of him and he could see the fear still hidden in the depth of them. He snarled slightly and flung the scared creature into the pile of goblins in the corner. The goblin collided and let out a loud yelp of pain which the man simply ignored. The place was a mess and he couldn't bring himself to care. He was in a rut as of lately and it put him in a foul and nonchalant mood. No different for him but hard on the ones serving him. Not that they would ever complain for fear of their life and the fact that their master could do no wrong.

He moved his bright blue eyes about the room and his white hair flowed past his shoulders. The thought of ordering the place to be picked up passed his mind but he shrugged it aside and moved to take his place at the head of the table, glaring at anyone who dared to speak. None did. The silence stretched on and no one approached him as he watched the ceiling from his seat. Noticing no one asked him what was on his mind or bothered to speak to him, he decided silence was overrated and changed his mind. His facial features twisted again and he slammed a hand down on the table, all of the goblins jumping.

"Is no one going to ask me why I am upset?" He asked in a voice barely above a whisper, chills running up the creatures spines.

The goblins slowly glanced around to see if anyone knew if this was a trap or not. Malchior was not known for one to want pity but he was known to constantly change his attitude. One moment he was kind, caring, and tended to his subjects. In mere seconds after that he was cunning, crude, and crushed the same subjects underneath his heel. All in all he was the perfect king of the goblins and they would have no other. One of the smaller goblins slowly drew closer to the man, twisting his green cap in his hands.

"W-W-What is wrong, my lord?" Malchior moved his eyes to land on the short goblin in front of him. The small goblin had no hair and the light shinned off of his bare head. Around his neck were goggles and his ears were pointed along with his nose. The king recognized the horrid taste in dressing in too much green and an annoying nasal speaking voice. It was one of his more faithful subjects. Yes he knew this one and appreciated all he had done for him. The trinkets he had made and the endless gadgets that made the goblin city run. How could he ever forget such a loyal subject? The answer was simple, he never could. Now if only he could remember what the heck his name was. Oh well it wasn't important.

"I'm bored, Gibob."

"Gizmo… my lord… You know, the same person who served you and your father and your father's father for the last three hundred and fifty years." Gizmo tried not to seem too annoyed. After all it was an easy mistake. Okay so it wasn't but when someone had the power to fry you to the crisp and eat you, you learned patience pretty quickly. Even if you did help build the city from ground up.

"Right right, Girlend." Malchior said as he placed an elbow on the table and leaned his cheek against his hand. Gizmo felt his temple start to twitch and he had to keep reminding himself to stay calm.

"Gizmo… my lord." The short child dressed in green said and started twisting his cap in annoyance. Malchior ignored him and continued on.

"I'm bored. I have done my duties for the evening and now I'm bored. I wish to be entertained." His eyes moved down to the short goblin and Gizmo found himself feeling uneasy. Entertainment for the master meant death, torture, banishing just to pass the time, and other endless things that were far from entertaining unless you were royalty.

"M-M-might I suggest a trip to the other realm? You haven't brought back a new goblin in a-awhile." Stuttered the goblin who never seemed to open his eyes and he was glad for this for he was certain that the fear would show in them. Slowly a smirk grew across Malchior's face and he jumped up from his seat.

"Of course! My I am a clever one. Thanks for nothing Gigi." Gizmo frowned and muttered his name over and over again underneath his breath. The goblin king once more ignored the fuming child and raised an arm to swing the black cloak around him. In a puff of large smoke he was gone and traveling through the air. He soared through the skies and over clouds, flying higher and higher as his eyes searched for something down below. Not seeing anything of interest he twisted his medium bird body and descended head first downwards. The salt and pepper feathers ruffled against the wind and he did not stop. The red of his eyes stayed focus downward and as it seemed as if he would hit the ground he contorted his body and swung sideways. The girl barely had time to duck as he flew mere inches from her head, violet strands fluttering about.

The strands settled back along her shoulders and young woman growled to spin around, glaring at the creature stupid enough to try and hit her. Blue-violet eyes scanned the area until they landed on the snow owl that watched her from the low branch it had recently taken. They watched one another and she couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't too sunny for a snow owl to be out and about. Come to think of it, it was the middle of the day and owls should be asleep. She arched an eyebrow and took a step closer, neither eyes wavering. Her hand reached up and she drew closer. Seconds later she was hitting the ground with a hefty weight on her back.

"Big sister Raven! Don't touch it! It could bite you!" Raven muttered something with her face on the ground and Timmy only arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"I think she wants you to get off of her." Raven held up a thumb to indicate the child with the golden pigtails was correct. The red haired boy slowly moved off of the teen he had pounced upon and gave a nervous chuckle. Maybe if he ran now he could escape her wrath. No his legs were too short and she would catch him in a matter of seconds. Still. She was old and he was young so he did have the advantage there.

Raven picked herself up from the grass and started to dust off the black leotard, muttering a few words underneath her breath. She was trying to keep calm the best she could and slowly she turned around to let her eyes meet with the Timmy's. The moment she opened her mouth to talk, Timmy took off running. Okay now she was annoyed. Grumbled to herself she took off after the redheaded child and called his name to try and get him to stop. He didn't and started to run even faster.

Melvin watched on as Timmy ran and Raven tried to grab a hold of him, losing her patience more and more with each passing second. Raven's hand shot out and her fingers barely missed the blue blanket. However, her foot did not miss the rock and down she fell to land once more on her face. That was the last straw. Steadily she picked herself up and glared in the direction of the freckled face boy hiding behind the jungle bars. She went to try to run after him again until she seemed to remember something. Melvin could see the look of foolishness over the older girl's face before she held up a gray hand. Black energy pooled around the freckle faced child and she drew him back to hover in the air in front of her, an annoyed look across her features. Melvin decided not to point out that she had a piece of grass in her hair and on her cheek.

"Timmy. How many times have I told you not to jump on me?" She asked and the boy glanced down at the ground.

"A couple." He muttered as he kept watching the ground and tried his best not to look guilty. He failed miserably. Raven crossed her arms over her chest and kept her gaze on him.

"And what did you just do?" Timmy still didn't meet her eyes and Raven could see him running through the correct responses in his mind. It was like watching a politician in the making.

"I tripped." He muttered and the empath could feel her eyebrow start to twitch.

"Timmy…"

"I did! I tripped and you can't prove otherwise!" He yelled and turned away from her, hmphing underneath his breath. Raven felt her fingers begin to curl and she lowered her head ever so slightly, reminding herself to stay calm.

"Timmy Tantrum…"

"Fine! I'm sorry! Okay, happy?! Now lemme go!" The thought of dropping the child on his rear ran across her mind but she pushed the thought away. She had enough troubles without being nagged at by her foster parents. Slowly she lowered the boy down to the ground and immediately he went off running again. Blue eyes watched her brother go and she frowned up at her foster sister. Raven met the look and tried not to let the annoyance she was feeling show.

"You didn't have to yell at him you know!" Melvin said before she called her younger brother's name and went chasing off after him. Raven stood where she was a moment longer and chanted her mantra underneath her breath. This was going to be a long day and by the looks of it she was going to have to take the children out for ice cream just to calm them down. The loud sound of the youngest child caught her ears and she glanced down in time to see Teether chewing on the near by park bench.

"Teether no! We've talked about this!" She moved over to the baby and picked him up into her arm. She wondered why she put up with this day after day. She was still young and this was becoming ridiculous. She was no mother but ever since her own mother had taken off with that one guy she was forced to take care of the kids her mother had promised to look over. She should have known though; promises never seemed to stay kept with the people she knew.

Teether giggled and curled his tiny fingers around one of her own. Despite her mood she felt a ghost of a smile cross her lips and she curled her finger back around his five. Blue eyes watched her with joy in them and he let out a playful chuckle. Okay, so maybe they weren't as terrible as she made them seem from time to time. Blue-violet eyes glanced up to watch the other two come back into view and over to her. Melvin elbowed her brother in his side and he grumbled an apology. Raven arched an eyebrow and Melvin started to rub the back of her neck.

"We're sorry…" The empath said nothing and only let a ghost of a smile show as she looked down at the pair. They were so much trouble at times but she knew she wouldn't have them any other way. Raven placed a hand on top of Melvin's head to show there were no hard feelings. Melvin beamed up at Raven and the teen moved to take Timmy's hand in one of her own.

"Come on. Let's get some ice cream." The children all let out a loud squeal of agreement and the four were off, leaving the snow owl to watch them depart. He waited till he was sure they were gone and in a flash of feathers he was gone as well.

Malchior traveled through the dimensions and until he was back in his own. His wings fluttered and in an instant his claws were feet and he was a man again with a large grin spread ear to ear. This was it. What he was waiting for. She had such talent, such beauty, such a way with words and her children were just as delicious. They were rotten and opinionated which was just right for a goblin in the making. Sure there were a few things he would have to work out, such as the whole feeling guilt thing but that's the way the cookie crumbles.

He shoved the large cloak away from himself and moved into his room. None of the goblins spoke as the large doors closed with a loud bang that echoed throughout the other room. He moved to his vanity mirror and shoved the clothes, money, and gems to the floor in a clatter of mess. He would have one of the goblins clean it up later or he would leave it; he didn't really care at the moment. Yanking out the chair he plopped down and the smile grew on his face as he held out a hand with his palm up. He drew in a deep breath before he slowly eased it from his lips and the air started to turn and waver until a ball appeared. With another breath of air he brought life to the crystal ball in front of him. Violets swayed and blues merged until an image of the girl could be seen in her room, reading a book. Oh he would have her and he would make those children his own and when he was ready to pass down the thrown, one of them would accept it. She would love him and he would teach her all the spells she would ever need to know. After all, he had made up his mind and what he wanted was always his. Always.

A/N: Yay! Just a taste of what's to come. I'm still messing around with the ideas so I might come back and edit this chapter later. If there is any grammar or spelling mistakes that's because my editor/boyfriend has been busy so I went ahead and tried to edit it myself. Hopefully it's not too bad but with me you never know. ^^; Hehe so review and let me know if it's a waste of fanfic or if it's intriguing so far. I tried to keep the characters IC but I think Malchior kinda wavers in and out but I think that'll happen often though I will try not to let it. Anyway I'm rambling! Read and review! ^^


	2. Chapter 1: Dreams

_**A/N:**_ Yay! I'm back with chapter one. The prologue doesn't seem to be getting many reads but maybe this will help since...well.. stuff actually happens in this chapter. I do not own Teen Titans or the Labyrinth that right belongs to Jim Henson and Warner bros, obviously not in that order... though I would totally watch that. Little teen titan puppets dancing around with David Bowie...okay yeah on with the chapter!

**Chapter One: Dreams that turn into child stealing nightmares**

She sat curled up on the bench with a book in her lap and a large brownish shaggy haired dog lying underneath. She was lost in the world of make believe, of a place that was all her own. She read about the Goblin King and the way he stole children away. The heroine spending all her time locked in a maze where she met friends that she would keep forever in her life. She read about the goofy smart-aleck little goblin who spoke in riddles and defied his master. All in all it was a book for children but it had been a present from her mother before she departed. It was the last gift she had received and her mother told her it would open her heart and mind to experiences that lasted a life time. So far her mother had been wrong. If anything she was getting irritated with the story because every time she tried to read it from the start the pages were gone. Well not gone but blank, as if someone went back through it and ate the ink from them.

Her slender fingers slid along the words on the pages and she imaged the woman on the paper stepped closer to the man. In her mind she could see the way he tried to woo her and pleaded for her to stay with him. He offered her so much and she seemed too hesitant for a moment. The tension always managed to pull Raven into the story and quietly she whispered the woman's reply out loud.

"You have no power over me…" Thunder crashed over head and she nearly fell from the bench. Violet-blue eyes glanced around for a moment as she noticed the clouds had turned gray and that a storm was moving quickly in. Frowning she closed the red covered book on her lap and stood up, being careful not to step on the dog below. She dusted the dirt from the royal blue cape and glanced down at the sleeping canine. "Come on. We should get home, Bobby."

The giant brown dog looked up at the empath and started to pant in agreement. He had two brown spots over his eyes and his ears were short, patches of light brown lining his paws. In the teen's opinion he looked more like a giant bear than a dog but it had come along with Melvin so they were stuck with one another.

The sound of the town clock chimed and Raven whirled around. Her eyes widened as she saw the time and muttered something underneath her breath. She hadn't realized it was so late. The Dayton's would have her head for this. She didn't waste a moment longer as she called Bobby over and the dog went trotting to her side, whimpering slightly. For a giant bear dog he had a fear of traveling through her soulself.

"I know but we're late. It'll be only a second." Bobby glanced up at her with his large black eyes as if to say even that was too long. She ignored him and lifted her hands up before letting them fall back down and in a wave of black energy they were gone.

The black and white owl watched from his place on the branch. Its head tilted to the side and slowly a smirk seemed to cross the features of its beak. A second later the bird was gone and the only sign it had ever been there in the first place was the salt and peppered feather lying upon the ground. The clouds shifted above and the rain began to pour down.

Raven and Bobby stepped out from the black portal and the giant dog seemed to be shaking and annoyed. Bobby felt a calming hand touch the top of his head and the shaggy dog glanced up into the soothing eyes of violet and blue. Instantly he felt better and he started to wag the stump he called a tail. The violet haired teen started for the stairs but was cut short as a tall bulky man stepped out in front of her. She already knew where this was going and she rolled her eyes in advance.

Steve Dayton stood in front of the young empath and his eyes burned into her. She was late and under his watch that was not acceptable.

"You're late."

"Sorry." She said in a monotone voice and went to move around him, Bobby following behind. They only made it a few steps before once more Steve Dayton cut back into her pathway.

"You know the rules. No dirty dogs in the house." Raven said nothing and arched an eyebrow up at her temporary guardian. Steve Dayton only stared back and dared for her to speak back to him. So of course she dared and spoke again in her monotone voice.

"It's pouring out there. You can't be serious. Besides we both know Melvin can't sleep without him."

"Then I suggest later on you give him a bath before you bring him in." Steve replied and refused to move from the spot, leaning slightly to stop her from proceeding. The young empath could feel her patience wearing thin and she had to remind herself that he was a guest in her house. Not only a guest but a substitute parent until her mothers return.

"This is outrageous. If my mother was still here-"

"But she's not. We agreed to take care of you until her return. _If _she returns and while she is away I am in charge. My house, my rules. The dog waits outside until he can have a bath." Pop went another strand of her patience and the annoyance showed clearly in her violet blue eyes.

"She will return and you are testing my patience… will you please move." Before I make you, she thought but decided not to say it. Steve simply shifted and crossed his arms over his chest, his blue eyes watching hers.

"Not until the dog is put outside." He growled through clenched teeth.

Both teenager and adult kept their eyes locked onto one another and neither one even entertained the thought of backing down. The shaggy brown dog only watched from where he stood on the ground and waited to see who would come out on top for his fate. He really didn't want to have to sleep in the oil stained garage on a rainy night.

Raven felt her power wishing to blow something up and it took all of her self-control to keep it in check. It was like this all the time and frankly it was beyond old. The tug-of-war game of control could go on for weeks and the cold war that sprouted after Rita cut in was never much better. One time Steve had even gone as far as to lock her out of the house and taunt her to apologize before he would open the door. Raven however only faded through the door and went to her room, leaving a fuming Steve Dayton down below. For a genius he sure could forget a lot when he was ill-tempered.

She wished Azarath was still around to guide her but her godmother had passed away long ago and so the empath and her mother fled to earth. On earth they had met Rita Dayton and instantly a bond was form between the two adults and the child. Along the time they had lived there Arella and Raven had met three troublesome children and their dog. Her mother being the kind soul she was could not turn them away and they all became a large family, the Dayton's becoming a close aunt or uncle.

The Dayton's never had a child of their own so it was strange for them to agree so quickly to take in four when Arella had said she must go off to do something of importance. Everyone thought she had run off with a handsome man and would never return for her daughter and the three wards. Raven didn't believe it for a minute. She had to believe in something more then this and that her mother would abandon them all for a pretty face. She had to believe that her mother would return and they would be the same mismatch but loving family again. Not that she would ever tell a soul about how she felt. So if she had to fight Steve Dayton in order to keep some reminiscence of her family before he had moved in, she would and she would win.

"This isn't your home. This is my mothers home and technically you are a guest in my home and I make the rules and I say Bobby stays." The last word was a challenge for him to try and out step his boundaries. Steve could already see how her fingers twitched eagerly to summon her manta. He only narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to point down at the empath.

"Your mother made me your guardian. That means I guard you and this house. I will not have such disrespect while I am-"

"What in the world are you two doing?" Raven and Steve looked over to see Rita Dayton standing in the doorway of the kitchen, her arms crossed over her chest. Her brown eyes watched the two and it didn't take long for her confused look to shift into one of anger. She placed her hands on her hips and glanced back between the two, waiting for an answer.

"She started it." Steve said and both females arched an eyebrow at his response. "I told her to put the dog out into the garage until he can have a bath and then he could come inside. I made a compromise and still she argues with me!" He yelled and Raven let the mask of indifference cross her face. On the inside however, she was ready to toss him into a wall.

"Bobby isn't dirty and it's pouring outside." Raven responded and gave Steve a sideways glance of a defiant stare.

Rita only watched the two a moment later and decided she had to be the decision maker. She never liked it because it not only put her in the middle but it forced her to take a side. Stepping to the side of the doorframe she whistled and Bobby trotted over. Both sets of brown eyes watched one another and she finally came to a conclusion, tilting her head in the way of the door.

"Into the kitchen, Bobby." Steve smirked in triumph and Raven kept her calm mask of indifference. The violet haired teen excused herself and made her way up the stairs with Rita frowning behind her. "Raven I-"

"I wish to be alone." The empath said quietly and turned the corner of the hallway. Steve let out a huff of air and Rita only watched the spot where Raven had turned a moment ago, a sad expression on her face.

"Are you ready to go? We're late enough as it is." Steve said and his wife only held up a finger as she moved her way up the stairs.

"Just one minute. I wish to check on her before we go." Once more Steve huffed and grumbled underneath his breath as he put on his coat. His wife could be such a push over from time to time but her kindness was one of the many things he loved about her. He only wished that some of her traits would rub off on his charge once in awhile.

Rita knocked gently on the wooden door with a black painted raven on the front. There was no answer so she knocked again.

"Raven… May I come in?"

"I'm mediating." A voice replied from the other side of the door. Rita frowned and leaned her ear to the door to see if she could hear if the girl was truly busy. Not hearing anything she spoke again.

"I only wish to talk for a minute."

"Miss Dayton. You're going to be late."

"You are right and I do have to leave but the children have eaten and I have put them all to bed. I was just… that is…I know I am not your mother." Rita waited for a response but there was only silence. She pressed on and hoped that the girl had not tuned out her voice just yet. "I am not trying to be… I simply wish to be a friend… I am just. That is…I do consider you part of my family and if you will allow me, maybe later on tonight when I get back we can sit down for a cup of tea and talk about what's been bothering you lately… only if you wish however." Silence fell between the woman in the hallway and the girl behind the door. It stretched on for what felt like miles and Rita frowned at the thought of being turned down.

"I… I would like that, Miss Dayton… thank you…" Raven said from the confinement of her room and Rita felt her heart light up. Steve called for her from the bottom of the stairway and she told him she was coming. She turned back to the door and placed a hand to the heart of the wood.

"I have to go now Raven but I will see you tonight."

Raven listened from the other side of the door as the sound of Rita's footsteps died away. The empath slid her hand away from the heart of the door and drew it close to her own heart, a faint smile gracing her lips. Maybe she was not as alone as she thought she was.

Turning away from the door she walked further into the depths of her dark room, candlelight flicking softly to light the room. The giant bookcase was to the right of the wall and books squished together in the small confinement shelves. Books that could not fit on the shelf lined the floors and small nightstands by the window. The thick dark violet curtains fell to the edge of the window sills and off in the back of the room was a small maze display. It had been a prize that Rita had won in one of her old acting gigs and she had forced Raven to accept it. Sitting on top of the large bookshelves was a giant black statue of a dragon with its mouth open, seeming to roar at anyone who dared to enter. Tucked away next to the bookshelf were two statues of a smiling mask and a frowning one, indicating she had a thing for the theater.

Though she had no use for them there were even stuff animals piled in a neat pile against another corner of the wall, a shelf above the pile. On the shelf there were six holes that looked like doorways with six different stuff animals. One of them was a porcelain doll with gorgeous long red hair that shimmered in the candlelight. Another was a ballerina with long black hair that danced in a circle on top of the music box. The half robot half man looking one was a toy that Timmy had given to her for her birthday. He was dark skinned with a red eye and completely bald since Timmy had plucked the hair from its head. Raven asked her mother about it and Arella had assured her that it was just a little boy thing to do. When Timmy had hit a button on the back of the toy and shot a fake missile into his sister's eye, Raven had tucked the toy higher up where the redhead could not get it.

The last three were all male dolls that her mother had said she had as a child herself. One of the dolls had short spiked black hair and was dressed in a black and white tuxedo, a mask over his eyes. For a doll he seemed to always be smiling as if he knew something she did not. The other was a curly blonde haired man who sat down and streamed the cords of his guitar when you wound him up. The last one however was one she could never put her finger quite on. It was a monkey but it was a green monkey dressed in black and purple. The beads of its eyes were a sparkling emerald and she remembered she hadn't much liked it as a child. Over the years though it had grown to be her second favorite. It was the only one of the dolls that talked and each time she pressed the button on his stomach a bad joke would be said. She had grown use to them and when she was upset she would usually hold it close. Only if no one was around to see. She only kept the dolls because they were all presents and a thoughtful gift was always a good gift.

She tossed the book onto the faded blue vanity dresser and moved to plop down on her bed, closing her eyes for a moment. She was exhausted and just wanted to get some rest. Lately she had been having weird dreams of a young white haired king who confessed his love to her. It had started out nice even though she was not use to the attention but as of lately the dreams had become more and more eerie. He would promise her things and tell her he had been waiting for her. In a few of the dreams she could see Melvin, Timmy, and Teether in his arms but they were not the children she knew. They had long pointed ears and their eyes were cold as coal. _They_ were cold as coal. The worse part was no matter how hard she tried to remember the end of the dream, she never could. She let out a long breath of air and opened her eyes to see that one of her thoughtful gifts had been taken.

"Robin…" She hissed through her teeth and stood up from her bed, stomping her way out of her room. It was one thing to take her favorite doll and it was a completely different thing for be in her room in the first place. She raised a hand and phased through the first door, glancing about the sleeping girls room before moving on. She did the same in Timmy's room and could feel her temper rise when she knew that Teether had it. If the child had eaten her favorite doll she would find out who had given it to him and send them into the furthest dimension she could find.

She opened the door to the youngest one's room and the sleeping child seemed to feel her presence. Teether woke up and an ear splitting cry filled the house, jolting everyone from their sleep. Raven winced at the sound but kept moving to pick up the nicely dressed doll that was faced down on the ground. She turned the doll over to check for any missing parts but besides from a large saliva soaked spot in the middle, the doll was fine.

"He couldn't sleep… so we let him borrow it…we didn't think you would mind…" Raven turned to see Melvin rubbing the sleep from her eye and holding the hand of her younger brother who was hiding behind her. He knew how the teen felt about her room and he had been in enough trouble with her as of late. He wasn't about to take this fall.

"You aren't suppose to go into my room." Raven spoke softly as she tucked the doll into the lining of her belt, Timmy seeming to hide further behind the oldest sibling. Melvin stood her ground and placed her hands on her hips, watching Raven defiantly.

"Well we needed something for Teether!" Raven bite back the reply and forced herself to be the adult she was. Arguing with Melvin was like arguing with Steve Dayton. It gave you something to do but at the end of it all you were more exhausted than you had been at the beginning. Slowly she curbed her anger and rubbed at her temple, glancing away from the glaring child in the doorway. It was too much lately; it all just seemed too much.

"You should have asked…is it so hard to have a little privacy and for you to respect my space?" Melvin didn't respond to the empath and Timmy only glanced back between the two girls. Teether kept screaming and crying from his spot in the crib. Raven could feel her temper start to build again and before she could get it under control something shuttered in the room. Teether screamed louder and Raven felt her eardrums about to split open. She moved to the crib and picked the howling baby up into her arms, bouncing him slightly on her hip to try and calm him. "Hush Teether… it's alright. Just be quiet now…"

"You have to tell him a story." Melvin said and Raven nodded her head in agreement, thinking over a story. They said the best stories came from things you knew so she settled for the strange dreams she had been having lately.

"Once upon a time… there was a goblin king and a princess…" Teether's cries started to die down slightly but he was far from finished. Melvin tugged Timmy's hand and the redhead stumbled as she they moved over to the spare bed behind the crib, curling up with one another. "The princess was special in a lot of ways. However one day the princess's mother ran away and a new king and queen moved into the castle. The queen was lovely and very nice but the king was mean and always ordering the princess around. He made her clean, cook, work in the fields, and stay home with the children…"

Slowly she started to stop talking as the dream unfolded in her mind like a movie. She saw the young king in front of her in all his brilliance and stunning features. She saw the depths of his bright blue eyes and the gentle sound of Timmy's voice brought her back into reality. Raven blinked and glanced over at the bed, noticing how Teether's cries were dying down.

"Finish the story…" Said Timmy and Raven nodded her head, trying to remember where she was.

"No one knew but the goblin king had fallen in love with the girl and told her if she wanted escape from this life he would grant it… that he would show her a place where she belonged and that the children would be taken care of…"

* * *

Somewhere off in a far distance land a group of goblins startled awake with a snort and started to glance upwards. Their eyes moved about the dark room and tried to pin down which way the words had come from. It was like a radio and it took a while to tune it to the right station but when they did, all of them leaned in to listen.

"What, what did I miss it?!" Said the tallest one

"Shutup!" They all hissed and returned to listening. They listened in silence as the words played on but soon one of them decided if they were going to have a voice to listen to they were also going to have an image to watch. The goblin dressed in red from his head to his toes slapped the shortest one over the head and he winced. Grumbling the child dressed in green hobbled in front of the group and then fell flat down onto his back. Gizmo tapped the device to his chest and nothing happened. The goblins groaned and hurried him on. He simply shouted back insults about butt sniffing and started to tinker with the pack on his stomach. Finally a light flickered and soon it projected out to play on the ceiling like a movie. The group ooed and awed until the light flickered out. Boos echoed throughout the room. Gizmo only yelled for them to shut up and then slapped the device again, the image sparking back to life.

"One night when the girl could not take it anymore… and the words of her foster father plagued her thoughts… she could do nothing but give in to the goblin king…" Said the violet haired girl on the screen and all the goblins leaned in closer, excitement in their eyes.

"This story is scary…" The redheaded boy whispered and snuggled closer to his older sister. The blonde haired girl only hugged him closer and reassured him it was only a story.

"She would never say the words." The girl with the pigtails said and the teenager turned around, arching an eyebrow.

"Oh? Why not?" Raven asked and the goblins only grumbled at the delay.

"Because she wouldn't have anyone to be with. She would be lonely forever and ever because no one would like her because she's so mean!" The goblins blinked at the bravery of the small girl and turned their attention back on the violet haired teen. She looked both shocked and slightly hurt.

"Well I think you're wrong."

"Well I think you don't have it in you." Said Melvin and crossed her arms over her chest to seal her argument. Timmy only whimpered and looked back between the two, the goblins doing the same. It was like watching a tennis ball going back and forth and waiting for the tension to finally end.

"DID SHE SAY IT?" Screamed the tallest goblin and they all grumbled to turn around and hiss at him. The ape like goblin covered his massive hands over his orange goateed face and blinked his white eyes at them all. Sometimes he wasn't as smart as them but he was the strongest and the biggest. The gold around his wrist shimmered slightly as Mammoth slowly lowered his hands again, just as the empath started to speak.

"…Goblin king, goblin king wherever you may be come and take these children, far away from me." Raven said.

All the goblins let out a loud sound of disappointment and started throwing rocks at the ceiling.

"Where did she learn such trash? Ugh like we would say something that juvenile." The goblin with the long black hair and violet eyes said. She didn't look like the other goblins and besides from a few things like her ears and eyebrows, she could of passed for human. She moved over to a nearby rock and sat down to cross her legs over the other ones. She wore a short black mini skirt with long gray tights down to her thick black boots. She was one of the goblin king's favorite girls and she was only here to scope out the new girl. As long as the king kept giving her money and parties though, she couldn't care less.

"Doesn't even start with 'I wish'." Said another goblin as he took a spot across from Blackfire and wiggled his eyebrows at her. She made a face at Control freak and shoved her hand into his face to push him off of the rock and to the floor. Some of the other goblins chuckled.

"Billy wants to know if the party is over, cause' Billy thinks it is." The red cladded goblin said as he glanced around to confirm his thoughts, his silent friend standing beside him. Kyd Wykkyd never said anything and that was fine with the rest of the group. He was by far the best among them next to Blackfire and with power like that if you didn't want to talk, they didn't make you.

"Yeah. We've been here forever. The king can't get mad at us for her not remembering the right words." Blackfire said and the silence that filled the room proved no one agreed. Everyone knew that Malchior was one of the most emotional repressed person they knew. If the wind blew right when he wanted it to blow left he would get mad. So if the girl couldn't remember the right words they knew it was their heads and everyone but Blackfire would feel the wrath. However as they thought of how lucky Blackfire was, the little girl began to talk again and listened on.

"Ha! I knew you wouldn't do it." Melvin said and Raven rolled her eyes. The violet haired teen moved to the crib and placed the whining baby down. He would calm down soon and with his siblings near it would only take a few minutes.

"Whatever you say Melvin." She started to walk out of the room and Melvin only stuck her tongue out at Raven's back. "Sometimes though…I wish the goblins would come to take you guys away… like right now." She flicked out the light and the goblins smirked ear to ear. Then they were gone with only the after lighting of their smiles left behind in the dark. Miles away the goblin king got the sign and he too was off.

* * *

"Sometimes though…I wish the goblins would come take you guys away… like right now." Raven said and flicked off the light to leave the room. She got across the hallway before the sniffling stopped and the children's voices were gone. Bit by bit she turned around and crept back into the room, placing a hand to the doorframe. "Teether?" Nothing. Her heart began to race. Still it could have just been the kids playing a practical joke on her. Frowning she walked further into the room. "Timmy?"

The sound of her voice was growing more frantic and something wiggled underneath the blankets of the crib. Its voice was deep and scratchy like someone trying to sound like a baby. It made her heart start to pound and she could feel every part of her body started to tremble.

"Melvin…Come on. This isn't funny. I was only kidding." Her fingers touched the crib and she peered over the edge to see something wiggling about underneath the cotton blanket. "I'm not scared if that's what you're trying to do." No response. Forcing the lump from her throat she moved her hand down and grabbed the blanket to yank it away. The blue fabric went flying and blue-violet eyes widen as she saw the smirking bald child in the crib.

"Goo goo gah gah." Gizmo said with a smirk from ear to ear and then he was leaping from the crib. Raven ignored the pounding of her heart and shoved the worry to the back of her mind. Her hands did not waste a second as she shot a dark ball of black energy at the scampering creature. She missed and the green clothed child darted into a dresser drawer. Laughter filled the room and her eyes widen as she saw other creatures scampering about the room to find places to hide. Some were come up to her hip and others were her height or taller. One of the taller ones hovered in the corner by the ceiling and grinned down at her. The black haired teen only waved as their eyes met.

"Hello. Lovely place you have here." Blackfire said. Raven growled underneath her breath and let her hands pulse to life with black waves of energy. She didn't get to throw the energy before she saw the expression on the floating girl's face.

Blackfire did not even twitch as her smile grew broader and she looked past Raven to the window. The empath soon knew why as the giant windows flew open and dust, glitter, and feathers poured in with a soft tornado of air. She threw up her hands and braced herself against the rushing wind that fluttered her cape violently around her, the Robin doll flying across the room. Peering through her fingers she squinted to see an owl flew in through the open window and swept down to the floor.

Violet blue eyes grew as the owl started to whirl in a circle. The wind danced around the creature and the wings began to grow into limbs. Limbs began to shift into hands and feet until the cloud of air sizzled out and a man appeared before her. The wind died down and slowly Raven's arms lowered as she tried to piece together what was going on. Everything was happening so fast and her brain wasn't keeping up as quickly as her actions. She knew the person in front of her she just couldn't place a finger on where she had seen him before.

"Who…who are you…" She asked and the white haired teen seemed taken aback. He raised a hand to his chest to show he was truly wounded and stepped closer to her. Raven stepped backwards and clutched her hands into fist to ignite the black energy to her hands once more. He didn't proceed and arched an eyebrow at her actions. Apparently she really did not remember him because surely she was not foolish enough to oppose him.

"You do not recognize me? Surely you jest." Malchior said. She blinked as she recognized the voice all too well. The fuzzy image in her mind began to shift and clear as the pieces fell together. The way his long white hair flowed down the middle of his back; the brightness of his deep cerulean eyes that seemed cold and distant. She remembered the way he wore his black eyeliner underneath his eyes to form an M underneath and the large black cloak made of dragon scales. She knew the way his hand always extended to hers as if waiting for her to accept it. She recognized the way his smile was charming and deadly all at the same time.

He moved closer to her and the scales of his cloak raked across the floor. White and black feathers lined the front of the cloak where the buttons should have been. His white dress shirt was woven again and again as if it was put together by being wrapped by paper. The look of puzzlement was gone from his face and that deadly grin was back on his features, eyes cold as ice. One look into those mischievous eyes and she knew what she wishes she did not.

"Malchior… the Goblin King…" She whispered unbelievably and took another step back, her magic dying away from her hands. It was a dream. It had to just be a dream. Such things were not real and if they were she would have learned about them long ago. She would have known and been prepared and handled it like she always did. She never would have whispered those words. Never.

"See. You do know me." Malchior said with that same calculated smile across his lips. He did not step forward just yet to leave her the illusion that he wasn't going to invade her personal space.

"It was a dream… it was only a stupid dream…" She whispered to herself and tried to catch her mind up.

"I think she's in shock." Blackfire said and Malchior only tilted his head to the side, nodding in agreement.

"I do believe she is. That's all right. We'll wait for the children to turn before we come back for her." The mention of the kids had Raven's mind slapping back into focus. She could figure all this out later as of now she had to find them.

"Where are they!? Bring them back!" Raven demanded and Malchior only lifted an eyebrow.

"You don't want them. I do. I took them."

"I didn't mean it! I didn't even know the incantation when I said it! Give them back!" She ordered once more and Malchior only sighed as if all this had suddenly been going on too long. He tossed his hands up in the air and started to walk around her, Raven never letting her eyes off of him.

"What is done is done." He sauntered over to the dresser and picked up one of the random books, arching an eyebrow at the romance novel. Humans were such weird creatures. "I cannot do what has been done."

"Liar! You're the king. You can do anything." She had to remain calm. She could not risk attacking him and never getting her children back from wherever he had taken them.

"True." He said nonchalantly and started to finger the pages of the book, arching an eyebrow at some of the chapter names. He glanced over his shoulder to meet her eyes and flashed a devious grin. "But I don't wish to."

Laughter filled the room and Raven turned around to glare but found nothing to glare at except for closing drawers and closet doors. Blackfire only waved down at her again and winked. Raven wanted to wipe that smile off of her face but she knew who her real target was. She turned back around to face the white hair man who was leaning against the bedpost and reading the book.

"Give them back." She ordered underneath her breath and he smirked at the power seeping out of her.

"Raven." He pushed from the bedpost and tossed the book over his shoulder onto the bed. He strolled over to where she stood and towered over her. She met his eyes with a look of spite and he ignored it, leaning in close to touch her cheek. "Don't defy me." Holding up a hand he kept his eyes on hers and let a slow breath of air out, the air twirling until it made a bubble. He brought the crystal in front of her and she glanced down into the shimmering orb. "Do you know what this is? This is your dreams. I am offering you your dreams. To be rid of the children and live a peaceful life…with me." She watched the orb for a moment before she yanked her face away from his hand and glared up at him.

"Give them back, Malchior… I won't ask again." The words were a low whispered threat and Malchior knew her last strand of patience was becoming unweaved. Frowned he stepped backwards and they watched one another for a moment. He clutched his hands into a fist and the bubble popped, a snake appearing where it had once been.

"Raven…You're defying me." He threw the snake at her and she reacted just as she was trained. She stepped back and held up a hand to let the black energy surround the withering reptile. Soon it morphed and its weight grew, forcing her to drop it in surprise. Control Freak looked around for a moment before he went scampering away and once more the goblins laughed. Malchior looked up and they all went back into hiding, all except Blackfire who simply kept grinning. This was proving to be quit entertaining.

"Give them back!" Raven yelled and the window exploded outwards, glass flying everywhere. Malchior did not flinch and only seemed to be getting just as annoyed as the empath. Raven could feel her heart pounding and the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Moments ticked by and finally the Goblin King let a large smirk slide to his face. He moved closer and she crouched down into a fight stance. He grabbed the edge of his cloak and flung it in a crescent shape. Raven closed her eyes as the feathers and glitter filled the room once more. When her eyes opened again she was standing on top of a hill covered in dried dirt and a dead tree near by.

"You want them. Fine. You have three days to reach the end of the labyrinth. Be glad I'm in a generous mood, most only get seventeen hours. However I gave you a day for each child." She said nothing and looked at the way the maze tangled and untangled together. This would be easy. A simple portal or flying technique would be enough. Malchior smirked and leaned over her shoulder, whispering into her ear. "Scared?"

"Hardly." She said in her monotone voice and stepped away from him, getting irritated with his lack of knowledge of personal space. "It doesn't look that far at all."

He chuckled and moved to step in front of her once more, cutting off her next step. He leaned in and she growled as her head leaned back.

"It's further then you think, my dear. Oh and if you fail it'll be a good thing you've seen my kingdom. For you'll be staying here. With me."

Her eyes narrowed and he only winked as he straightened to his full height. He watched her walk by him, her blue cape flowing behind her. Rich deep blue eyes kept studying her until she was a good feet away from him. Soon she would receive another small surprise he had taken upon himself to give to her. Though he was sure she wouldn't like this one at all. He chuckled and whirled around to disappear in a flash of scales and feathers.

_**A/N:** _So there we have it. In the next chapter everyone's favorite green teen makes an appearance and things pick up. Thank you for reading it and leave me a review! I love reviews they fuel the fire and motivate me to get the next chapter up as quickly as I can. Until my next update love and peace and all that glittery jazz.


	3. Chapter 2: Of Green Men and Mazes

_**A/N:**_ I know this chapter took forever to get up. I changed it from humor to fantasy because the more I wrote the more I wasn't so certain it was funny. So I just focused more on just writing it then having it be more humorous. ^^;

I do not own Teen titans OR the labyrinth. Everything belongs to it's proper owners.

_**Chapter Two: Of Green men and mazes**_

Raven marched through the dead forest and felt the wind blow gently along her features. She heard twigs snap underneath her feet and felt like something was watching every move she made. She tried her best to ignore it. She wouldn't put it past the Goblin King to have some type of way to keep tabs on her. A sly smirk slid across her lips as she wished the silver haired goblin luck. As soon as she found the gateway into the labyrinth she would teleport her way through the maze and to the goblin city. Wouldn't that just put a wrench in his little plan.

Deep in thought of revenge and sitting at home with a nice cup of tea, she never noticed as one of the twigs on the dying bush reached out and grabbed at her cape. She did however feel herself jerking to a stop and she whirled around to glare at the bare bark. It immediately let go of her cape and held up its thin twigs as if they were hands trying to avoid a blow. She only glared for another moment before turning back around and counting her walk, making a mental note to pay more attention. If trees could grab you out of nowhere, imagine what else this crazy place could do. She had to be prepared for anything else.

"Melvin, Timmy, Teether…. You three better be worth this." She muttered underneath her breath but her heart already knew the answer. She could feel Timid running through all the things she had done and how cruel she had been to the kids. She made a note to change that later on, if she got the children back. No, not if. _When_ she got them back.

Her arm raised up and she pushed back one of the bare branches to stop short as she saw a run down courtyard in front of her. It stretched for what seemed like yards and it was littered with dying trees. The bricks that lined the ground stuck out like a child with a bad tooth condition. Jolting out left and to the right and as broken faded red bricks lined the rest of the earth. Bare trees scattered around the place and leaves seemed to beg for water as they hung on to the last inch of their life before falling from the tree to the dusty ground below. Vines curled and weaved their way along the ground, lying across the blade or two of grass that sprouted up through the cement. The vines moved and intertwined along the circular bottom of a rundown water fountain in the middle of the dreary courtyard. The fountain arched up on several tears of cement, chucks missing from old stone that lined the bottom of the small pond. In the heart of the fountain was a statue of a small child peeing into the spring; the once bronze color of the stone child, now nothing more then a rusty brown.

"Charming…" Raven mumbled before the sound of someone speaking drew her attention. Downwards and in front of the statue was a short male with his back turned towards her. She couldn't see much of him and the light of the harsh sun above shaded certain features. What she could see was that he was talking to something in his hands and twitching every now and again. The empath only arched an eyebrow and tried to hide the look of disgust on her face, praying he wasn't mimicking the statue. "Er…excuse me?"

"Be with you in a sec!" He yelled over his shoulder without looking up. The empath went to speak but as the short male let out a loud scream she only blinked. Up shot what looked to be a dark skinned fairy dressed in a black and yellow shirt. The insect sized girl stuck her tongue out at the short man and he grumbled to leap at her. She easily avoided the way his grey gloved hand shot out at her and laughed in triumph as he tried again and again, never coming close. "No fair! How am I suppose to train if you keep flying away?!"

"That's the point, genius!" The winged girl said and detached two small golden B's from her waist. The male leapt at the black and yellow dressed insect and she avoided it again, shooting yellow bolts from the end of her stingers. The young man let out a loud yell of pain as the yellow shot hit him square in the face, forcing him to whirl around and land on his knees.

"Ow ow ow ow ow owwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! Time out! Time out!" Shouted Gar as Bumblebee kept shooting at him with her stingers.

"No time outs, BB! Sorry but that's just how it is!" Though she said sorry, the large smile on her face said otherwise. Raven blinked and watched on as the other teen stumbled and scampered over the broken up walkway to avoid the wrath of the flying fairy.

"Okay okay! I give! I give! I'll train harder!" He pleaded and the girl only smirked, floating up and down from where she flew.

"Annnnnndddddd?" He frowned and rolled his eyes. He hated this part.

"And you're the best fairy around and I am considered lucky that you would take time out of your busy schedule to teach my 'sad behind' how to fight off bad fairies." Bumblebee smirked and twirled her stingers along her fingers before attaching them back to the hip.

"Darn straight."

"Ummm… excuse me…as much as I would hate to interrupt this…I was hoping..." Her thoughts trailed off as she moved closer to where the busy activity had been and got her first real look at the whining male on the ground. "…You're green."

"Of course I'm green, nothing this cute could ever be another…col..or." He finished saying and his emerald eyes widen in surprised at the girl in front of him, their expressions mirroring one another. Her violet hair swayed around her shoulders as the wind blew around her form. The look of shock in her violet-blue eyes did not cause his eyes to keep from wandering over the mystic creature in front of him. She looked like one of those gothic people that he had heard about from the other realms. Her skin was a grey exotic color and he couldn't help himself as the heat raised to his cheeks. "Of course… I have been wrong before." He whispered to no one in particular but the way her eyebrows furrowed he could tell she had heard him. His blush deepened and he laughed slightly nervous, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Okay. Anyway…little green man and flying… fairy…Do either of you know the way in?" Raven asked and the green teen put on a face of confusion.

"Errrr the way into what?"

"The labyrinth."

"What labyrinth?"

"The one behind you."

"That's not a labyrinth…that's a wall." Gar said and Raven could feel her temper start to build.

"My you are observant… now where is the door?"

"What door?" The green teen asked again.

"The door to the labyrinth…"

"What's a labyrinth?" Raven growled and curled her fingers into tiny fist, stepping closer to the green teen.

"Are you always this annoying or am I just lucky?" She asked out through clenched teen and the green teen could only force a nervous chuckle from his lips.

"Sorry Rae…part of the job." Her expression changed and she stared in shock at the short teen in front of her.

"How do you know who I am…?" Gar only watched her at the question as if he couldn't believe she would say something like that.

"Er…everyone knows about you. About the deal you made with Malchior… about the three children he took, about your m-OW! What did you do that for?!" He asked as he whirled around and glared at Bumblebee. One look from her and he knew what the slap had been for. There was one topic in the entire labyrinth that no one was to discuss with the empath.

Emerald eyes glanced back with Raven's and he cleared his throat, chuckling apprehensively at the raised eyebrow she drew in question.

"The point is…you're well known Rae and it's our job to slow you down as much as possible."

"Well if you know me so well… why don't you seem to know my name is _Raven _and not _Rae_?" She placed emphasis on her name and Bumblebee could only chuckle, watching the nervous changeling in the hot seat.

"Aww come on Rae, everyone likes nicknames." He offered her a smile and she did not accept, her eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"I don't." His smile wavered slightly and he rubbed the back of his head, glancing down at the ground.

"Er right…got it…sorry." Timid made a small whimper as she saw the frown on the green man's face and felt bad for hurting his feeling. Raven only buried the thought and pushed on with her original question.

"So…er…"

"Garfield! They call me Garfield." He smiled and stuck out his hand, ignoring the way the flying girl lifted an eyebrow at his choice of names. He hadn't gone by that name in months and yet here he was offering it up to the pale girl in front of him on a silver platter. She couldn't help but chuckle. "Gar for short."

"…Garfield…" She said and slowly accepted the hand. Their eyes met and locked as he flashed her yet another toothy smile, causing a small blush to appear on her cheeks. "Do you know the way in or not?"

"Of course! I am the guardian of the gate but the question is." He leaned in close to her and wiggled his eyebrows. "Do you have what it takes?"

"…Gee I don't know. Opening a door just sounds so hard." She replied sarcastically and the shape shifter only smirked, seeming to know something she did not. Sliding his hands behind his head he interlaced them and made his way to a nearby tree.

"Oh? Well in that case let's see." Raven said nothing as the green teen leapt up into one of the dying trees and took a seat. "Walk up to the wall and say knock knock."

"…You're kidding." Gar only smiled and the empath drew in a long, slow breath. "Great… you aren't kidding." Drawing another breath she forced her legs to move over to the towering wall and glanced up. The thought of simply fading through crossed her mind and she glanced over to where the green man sat, watching her. If she had to, she could take him and since Malchior was watching her anyway she might as well do something to annoy him. "You know something. I think I'll just do things my way. Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Her chant rang out throughout the courtyard and she thrust her hands outward causing her cape to flap behind her.

Moments went by and nothing happened. Shock filled her eyes and she glanced down from her hands to the wall. This couldn't be. Not even he would sink so low as to take away her magic. Growling she shot her hands out again and chanted the manta once more only to receive the same results.

"Errr…what are you doing?" Gar asked in puzzlement as the empath kept trying over and over again to get through the wall. He really hoped she wasn't losing her mind so early in the game.

"My magic…it's gone…all of it…" She growled underneath her breath and willed herself to fly but nothing came. She was going to have to play by his rules and that meant that he had the leverage. That she was in his world and she could do nothing but deal with it. The very thought caused her blood to boil.

Gar frowned as he watched the way the empath stared at her hands and seemed so small in that moment. As if the weight of the world and how dire the situation was both landed on her shoulder. Violet blue eyes looked up and she stared at the wall blankly, causing the changeling's heart to drop. However in the next moment the empath was shouting and kicking at the wall, words falling from her lips to cause Bumblebee to fly over and over and cover Gar's pointy ears. The green teen blushed slightly at some of the words. So much for the empath seeming so small and fragile.

Panting after getting all her frustrations out, she rubbed her temples and tried to think. She had to admit that finally being able to get the way she felt about the situation off of her chest did help slightly but now she had a bigger concern. She was going to have to play by his rules and walk through the entire maze without a drop of power. She had no way to defend herself and the very thought of walking for so long kept running through her mind. Doubts, concerns, and rage ran through her mind and entire body as she came to the biggest concern of all. She was going to have to actually tell a joke. Drawing in a breath she slowly let her eyes open and glared at the wall.

"…Knock knock."

"Who's there?" A loud voice asked, shaking the very ground she stood on. She caught her balance and braced herself before pushing on.

"…Raven."

"RAVEN WHO?"

"…Er…Raven the girl who wants…in?" Silence.

"…It might just be me…but that wasn't funny." Said Gar and glanced over to see Bumblebee nodding in agreement. Raven sighed and pinched the brim of her nose, feeling like an idiot.

"Well if you're so good at telling jokes you get over here and do it!"

Gar let a large grin slide across his lips at a chance to show off his masterly skills in the art of jokes and jumped down from the tree. He strolled passed the empath as she rolled her eyes and moved up to the wall. He raps his knuckles on the wall and soon the stone shifted and contorted until a large wooden door was in front of them. Raven said nothing and only arched an eyebrow wondering if this was how the rest of the journey was going to be. Gar cleared his throat and rolled up the long sleeves of his outfit before knocking on the large wooden door yet again.

"Knock knock." Gar said with a large smirk and winked over at the empath. Raven only rolled her eyes and let out an audible sigh. So this was what hell felt like.

"Who's there?" The voice from earlier said as its loud voice boomed around them and shook the dying branches on the trees.

"Arty." Gar replied and leaned against the door, faking nonchalance as he checked his nails.

"Arty who?"

"Arty gonna let me in already?" He smirked and Raven couldn't help but let her face fall, her left eyebrow twitching. Gar only kept his wide smile and moved over to the empath, lightly elbowing her in the side. "Get it?"

"Unfortunately…" The green teen only snickered like he thought she was joking.

The doors to the labyrinth opened with a groaning sound and Raven found herself in agreement with a door. She had heard some bad jokes before but that one took the cake. Not even the Timmy's jokes were that bad and he was all of four.

Dirt and grim floated to the ground from a long century of not being opened. The iron hinges on the door squeaking in protest as they were forced to swing open with a loud rusting sound. The green young man found himself wincing at the sound but the smell was the thing that knocked him to his knees. The smell of mold filled the air and even Raven could feel her stomach turn as the rotten smell hit her full forced in the face. She was wrong before. _This_ was hell and her stomach agreed.

Covering her mouth with a hand she coughed a few times to step backwards out of the range of the smell. She took a deep breath of fresh air and stepped through the doors into… nothing. Well not nothing but it might as well have been nothing. There was only a large grey stone wall that stretched from one end all the way to the other in a never ending line. Frowning she started to turn around in a circle to see if maybe there were doors or entranceways but whichever way she looked there was nothing but a long solid wall.

"Great…just great." She muttered to herself.

"Sooooo…which way are you going?" Gar asked as he leaned over the violet haired beauty's right shoulder. She glared at him and he quickly backed away, holding up his hands with a weak smile. Not saying anything Raven walked a little further to the right before turning around to glance at the left. This was going to be a hard decision and she was forced to make it. Not that either way looked any different from the other.

"Well then…which way should I go?" She spoke in her usual monotone voice because it was her first instinct. Her second was to let the rage out and destroy the whole place but seeing how she had no magic to do so she was going to have to just deal with it. Now she had yet another reason to kill Malchior because apparently for him stealing her children was not enough.

"Huh?"

"Which way…right or left?"

"Well I wouldn't go either actually." He started and she arched an eyebrow. She waited for him to finish but apparently that was all she was going to get out of him. She felt her patience reach its last inch and she clenched her jaw.

"Fine." Whirling around on the heel of her purple boots, she started down the right pathway to leave a shocked green teen behind.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" He yelled and started after the retreating back of the girl. She spun around on him and narrowed her eyes, stopping him in his tracks.

"I am going to go rescue Melvin, Timmy, and Teether. I am going to go get my magic back and I am going to do it alone. Thank you for your help, Garfield. Now if you do not mind I have business to attend to."

Gar looked on as she moved back down the way she had started and he felt something stirring inside of him.

"I could come with you…" He said softly and she only waved a hand over her shoulder at him.

"No thank you. Goodbye Garfield."

Frowning slightly he stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched her go with a longing he didn't recognize. He didn't want her to leave and he didn't want to be watching her leave but she had already made her decision. He reached out a hand to try and stop her but she was too far gone and he only lowered it again. He couldn't let her willing go walking into such a dangerous place without some type of advice or words of wisdom to help her on her way. He started to wreck his brain for information that would help her on her. He found it and shouted out to her.

"Rae! Just remember! Don't take things for granted in here!" She didn't turn around and he figured she did not hear him. Pointy green ears laid downwards in guilt and he whispered softly to the wind, wishing it would carry it to her ears. "Things are not always what they seem in this place…be careful Rae." He felt something land on his shoulder and emerald eyes met with hazel.

"She'll be alright, _Gar_. She's a tough one and I can tell." Bee said and patted the green teen on the nose for comfort. Gar only chuckled timidly as he caught the nickname and he sent Bumblebee a small smile. The fairy smiled and flew back out into the courtyard and Gar followed behind, glancing at the quickly disappearing back of the empath. He let out a breath of air and moved back outside of the doors, closing them with a loud bang behind him.

Raven tried to ignore the many voices in her mind as she marched down the long narrow walkway. She carefully stepped over one of the branches that had fallen down in her path. For nothing but a giant wall surrounding her there was a lot of dead branches scattered about the ground. The walls seemed to shimmer with what looked like glitter and grime. Every few steps she would pass by a large collection of mold, the green blob following her with twenty or so eyes. For the first time in a long time she felt slightly spooked.

She avoided another branch on the pathway and stopped walking to catch her breath. This was becoming more tiresome than she thought and so far she hadn't even found one single opening. If she had her magic this would have been over with by now and she would be curled up on her bed reading a nice big book.

"But w-w-we don't and now we'll never find the kids…w-what have I done…" Said Timid and Raven only tried to push the thought away.

"Maybe we should have let the green guy come along after all. He was kinda cute." Giggled Happy and Raven slapped her forehead. She didn't have time to sit around and literally talk to herself. Drawing in a deep breath she started to look around to try and get a feel of the place.

"Remember what he said…don't take things for granted." Said Knowledge and Raven kept looking around.

"Figures… he talked in riddles because I don't see one turn or door." She stopped herself from looking around for the fifth time. Maybe she was thinking this over too much. Maybe she needed to just keep going the way she was going and something would pop up. Maybe what she was taking for granted was the way she was moving. Violet-blue eyes looked down the narrow walkway and she nodded her head at her decision. It was settled, she would keep going forward.

She pushed from the wall and started to run as fast as she could along the flat dirt corridor. Twigs snapped underneath her feet and her head ducked from branches thrusting out from the stone wall. She ran for what felt like hours but was probably nothing more than fifteen minutes before her lungs cried out in protest and she could run no more. Doubling over she fell down to her knees and started to gasp for air, violet strands sticking to her face. Okay that had been a bad idea. Leaning against the wall she closed her eyes and let the air refill her lungs, trying to think of a new plan since the old one had failed so horribly.

"Ello." Her eyes shot open and she looked around for the owner of the voice. She only saw a red silkworm looking back up at her. It had black hair on its head with a red streak in the front. It wore a tiny dress that could probably fit on a doll. The top half was black and the bottom half was red. Its large black eyes only stared up at the empath and Raven wondered if she was hearing things.

Slowly the violet haired girl leaned in closer to the silkworm and spoke in her usual monotone voice with a hint of curiosity in it.

"…Did you just say hello?" The silk worm laughed.

"No no no dear, I said ello but you were close 'nough." The silkworm said in a British accent and for the second time that day, Raven was surprised. Well maybe not second, she had lost count some time ago.

"Oh…er…hello to you too…" The silkworm smiled broadly and tilted her head to the side. Raven just pushed the discomfort of talking to a worm to the back of her mind and kept telling herself that she was not going crazy. That this was probably normal in this world and she would be leaving it soon.

"Names Argent. How bout you come on inside and meet the mister, eh?" Raven shook her head.

"Gee sounds thrilling…but I'm trying to find my way through this labyrinth…but as you can see there's no turns or doors…" Argent laughed and Raven arched an eyebrow. It seemed she was funnier than she gave herself credit for.

"Well luv, ye must not be looking right. The place is full of 'em!" Raven startled a bit and started to look around. All she saw was the same two options. The first to go left or the second to go right and a large wall smashed to each side of her.

"Oh yes…so many choices." She said and Argent only smiled, tilting her head to indicate to follow her.

"Come on inside and meet the mister." Raven sighed.

"Look Argent it was very nice to meet you but I really must be going and since there aren't any openings it'll just take me longer." Even though the empath seemed short with her the silkworm only smirked.

"Silly garl, there's one right across from ye." Raven gave the silkworm a sideward glance.

"No. That's a wall."

"Trust me, it ain't." Raven's eyebrow began to twitch.

"Right…look I really must be going."

"Just give it a shot. Walk on up and see for yourself." Blue violet eyes watched the silkworm and Argent matched the look with a smile. So far she had had her kids stolen, lost her magic, and met a green guy with a horrible sense of humor. Why couldn't a wall actually be a door? In a place like this she shouldn't doubt it.

Pushing up from where she sat she held up a hand and touched the wall in front of her. Her hand went through an invisible opening and she blinked as she stepped forward. She looked left and right and saw that each way looked different. The left looked darker while the right seemed brighter. She headed towards the left.

"Thank you." She called back to the silkworm.

"WAIT!" Yelled Argent and Raven leaned backwards with a puzzled look.

"What?"

"Don't go that way! Never go that way."

"…Er…right, of course." She took the right and Argent shook her head.

"Poor garl…if she had gone that way she had gone straight to _that_ castle." Argent said and shudders ran along her wormy spine from the thought (at least they would of if worms had spines).

Inside of the large ivory tower two children sat in the shallow pit in the middle of the room. A few blankets hung over the side of the four foot drop and the rest were piled with pillows in the center to try and make the children as comfortable as they could get considering they were in a hole.

The rest of the room was small since it seemed to be only a pit stop in the large castle where one could rest if they got lost. Stairs wound up to the flat surface before they continued further upwards, a small room across from the lower staircase. The small throne only fit the goblin king and his large black and white cloak hung over the back. It tumbled down to the ground and rolled a good foot behind or around where he sat. There were no drapes or curtains in the little area and the windows were nothing more than small holes craved into the stone, only wide enough to wiggle an arm in. To the right of the throne was a large golden clock, the large black hands shaped like spades as they moved in a circle.

The last of the children sat upon Malchior's lap and cried loudly. The twenty or so goblins in the room had tried everything to cheer the baby up and nothing seemed to be working. They had tried to give the baby sweets, read books that had only seemed to make him cry louder, and even resorted to juggling. Nothing had worked and the child only continued his earsplitting scream.

The white haired king bounced the adolescent up and down on his knee, cooing softly to try and get him to hush. He should have just taken the other two. Oh well, it was too late now and he was stuck with the baby.

"You have to sing to him." Melvin said from the pit as Timmy leaned against her. Malchior only arched an eyebrow at the solution and eyed the little girl like she had gone insane.

"Sing? I don't sing." Said Malchior as he kicked one of the goblins in the face to try and cheer up the screaming child. Timmy laughed but Teether only kept crying.

"Don't or can't?" Asked Melvin and Timmy smirked. He wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to get a joke in. The redhead lightly nudged his sister with an elbow and Melvin arched an eyebrow at him.

"I bet he sounds like a turkey." The two laughed at Timmy's words and even a few goblins joined in. Malchior narrowed his eyes and the goblins instantly shut their mouths.

"Actually, the king has a very lovely singing voice." Said Blackfire as she took a seat along the top of the pit and swayed her feet back and forth in the air.

"Yeah right." Timmy said. He twirled a finger around his temple and rolled his eyes to show his older sister that the lady was clearly crazy. Melvin giggled.

The action did not go unnoticed by the black haired beauty and she arched an eyebrow. Slowly Blackfire forced a small chuckle up past her lips and leaned in so her violet eyes lock onto the children.

"Oh how charming, you actually think to oppose me." She held up a hand and violet energy blazed to life in her palm, the smirk still playing at her lips. The two children in the pit quickly stopped laughing and went pale.

"Down Blackfire. If the children want a song so be it. Sing them one." Malchior said while pinching the brim of his nose. The child's wailing was starting to grind on his nerves and he could feel a headache rising.

"Ring around the rosy." Smirked Blackfire and never let her eyes leave the children's.

"Isn't that song about a plague or something?" Malchior asked and corked an eyebrow. Blackfire was always trying to show dominance by fear and most of the time he didn't mind. However, the children were his and if anyone was going to strike fear into them, it would be him.

Blackfire only gave her most innocent of smiles and waved a hand to try and dismiss the look she was receiving from the king.

"Why of course. All the more reason to sing it." She said and the white haired king only watched her from where he sat. The humor rushed from her and she pouted, turning her head away from the stare. "Or not."

Malchior let out a large audible sigh as he went back to bouncing the youngster on his knee, Teether seeming to get more agitated by the action. He could feel himself getting closer and closer to losing his patience and he knew that was something he didn't have time to deal with right now. Mumbling a few curses underneath his breath he glared at the goblins around him.

"Someone fix this! Now!" He ordered and everyone in the room tried to search their brains for a song.

Teether screamed louder and Melvin and Timmy only frowned from their spots in the pit. Blackfire glanced around the room as the goblins started to clink pots and pans together. Her violet eyes moved about as she started to remember an old song from years ago that the original goblin king had started. However, getting the new king to sing it would be a great feat. A smirk slowly slid its way along her lips and she kneeled down to look at Melvin.

"You remind me of the babe."

"What babe?" Melvin asked, corking an eyebrow.

"The babe with the power." Blackfire winked.

"What power?" Timmy asked, looking around as if he had missed something. Blackfire just kept singing.

"The power of voodoo!"

"Who do?" The two children queried at the same time.

"You do." Blackfire answered.

"Do what?!" Timmy screamed in annoyance at clearly missing something.

"Remind me of the babe!" The whole room burst into laughter and Teether slowly started to stop crying. Gizmo jumped up on the table and held up his hands.

"Wait! A goblin babe!" The short prodigy pointed and laughed. The room only went quiet and Gizmo grumbled. "Everyone's a critic."

Blackfire smiled and moved to take Malchior's hand into her own, tugging him up from his seat.

"Oh come on Malcie baby! I know there's still an old fun bone buried in that body somewhere!" The onyx haired beauty said as she spun around to the rhythm of the music filling the room. Malchior only glared at the dancing woman and handed her the small child.

"A. Don't _ever_ call me that and B. I am not singing."

"More like can't." The two children said in unison in the pit. The goblin king narrowed his eyes and placed a hand on his hip.

"I have you know every Goblin King has been able to sing. I am greatly known for my voice and everyone attends my Royal bashes just for a tiny spark of hope that I might sing."

"You know I hear a lot of talking but I don't hear any proof." Said Timmy and Melvin nodded in agreement. Anger flashed in the deep blue pools the Goblin King called eyes and he clenched his jaw tightly. He would not be egged into doing something just because two children taunted him. He was not a child and had nothing to prove to them.

"I bet he sounds like a goat." Melvin said and Blackfire and a few other goblins couldn't help but laugh as the redheaded child demonstrated what Melvin had said. So much for not letting the children get underneath his skin.

"I saw my baby! Crying hard as babe could cry. What could I do?" Melvin's mouth dropped open as she stared unbelievably at Malchior. Despite what she would say later on she had to secretly admit his voice was heavenly. He turned his blue eyes towards her and she quickly closed her mouth, trying to look unimpressed. "My baby's love had gone and left my baby blue. Nobody knew!" The goblin king belted out the song and Timmy only cheered him on until he felt an elbow to his side.

"What kind of magic spell to use." Blackfire sung, dancing with Teether in her arms. The small baby giggled and clapped his hands together.

"Slime and snails!" Gizmo yelled until he realized he was singing along and he quickly sat down, covering his mouth.

"Or puppy dog tails'!" Timmy answered and Melvin quickly clamped a hand over his mouth, rolling her eyes. Sometimes boys were more trouble than they were worth.

"Thunder or lightening!" Mammoth added, excited to be part of the sing a long. Malchior smirked and jumped into the pit, leaning in to meet the narrowed eyes of Melvin.

"Then baby said." She said nothing and only crossed her arms over her chest, turning her head away from him. He arched an eyebrow but smirked when Teether spoke in baby speak. One down and two to go, was the King's only though.

"Dance magic dance, magic dance magic dance." Melvin gasped as Timmy ran over to Malchior and the wizard only smirked in victory. Mammoth clapped his hands and reached down to take Timmy from the pit, leaving Melvin glaring from where she stood.

"Put that baby spell on me!" Sung Control freak, his voice clearly not trained in singing.

"Jump magic jump, magic jump, magic jump." Mammoth and Timmy both sung as the wizard watched the child jump giant leapfrogs about the room.

"Put that magic spell on me." Blackfire sung as she tossed Teether into the air, barely catching him as he came back down. The baby laughed and the dark haired girl did the same, dancing in the center of the crowd with the two human boys.

Malchior smirked and looked down to see Melvin refusing to take part in the festivities. Slowly a smirk slid across his lips and he kneeled down to face level with the resisting human.

"Slap that baby! Make him free!" Timmy and the goblins sung before laughing, continuing on with their dance. Melvin only sat in the pit and felt her temper beginning to grow. Her brothers were already acting like one of them and she wasn't sure how much longer she could contain the spell. She missed Raven.

"Don't you want to join in on the fun?" Malchior taunted the girl and Melvin only backed away from him, glaring up defiantly.

"I'll have my own fun when Raven gets here. She'll show you, all of you for taking us!" The song played on and Malchior simply stared down into the blue eyes, the blonde doing the same. They held each other's gaze and seemed to try and weigh who had the stronger will of the duo. Seeing that the child was indeed not going to back down anytime soon, he smiled.

"Yes…I suppose we'll all have fun_ if_ she makes it." He said nothing else and stood to his full height. If the child didn't want to give in, so be it. Give it time and the labyrinth would work its spell. It would slowly work its way into her memories and steal them away, turning the girl into a goblin from the inside out.

He made his way from the pit and the blonde haired girl watched him go, trying her hardest to ignore the seed of doubt that had been planted. She frowned and sunk down to the ground, wrapping her arms around her knees. She watched on as her two brothers danced with the goblins and the king took his throne once more. She only hoped Raven was close because she already felt alone and scared more than she ever had in her whole life.

Raven felt her eyebrow twitch as the music blared out overhead and seemed to echo off of the very walls themselves. As if it was not enough to be walking through a deserted maze with no hints of where she was going or where she had been, now she had to do it to bad music.

She stepped in the middle of a four way split and turned around a few times, growling in annoyance. This was going to take forever. That's when the empath got an idea. She started to rummage through her cloak and came out with a marker. Melvin's constant need to write or draw something finally seemed to come in handy. Raven kneeled down and drew a large red arrow on the ground before she took to the upper right path.

She never noticed as the three inch white haired goblin lifted the tile above his head, shaking his fist at her. He shouted something in a British accent before muttering to himself. He got up from the hole and spun the tiny guitar around on his small frame as he dragged the tile to flip it over. Jumping back into the hole he shook his fist at her one more time before being careful not to ruin his spiky white hair, lowering himself back into the darkness.

Raven came to split and looked right to left before choosing the left side. She marked the tile with another red arrow and started down the pathway. Once more another three inch goblin jumped up and cursed things a child should never hear or say. Grumbling the bulky yet small goblin easily spun the tile around and started to walk his black leather cladded form down the opening.

Raven glanced right to left again and was beginning to get annoyed at the lack of choices. Sighing she chose to go left and drew another arrow. This time both of the tiny goblins showed up and started to turn the tile, the bulky gray skinned goblin almost taking the head off of the other. The white haired goblin yelled in a squeaky voice and the red eyed goblin only shrugged an apology. Punk Rocker only waved it off and Johnny Rancid smirked as they jumped down into hiding.

The empath sighed as she came to a dead end and turned around, her eyes widen at what she saw. Her arrows were pointing all in different ways then she had originally drawn them on. Growling she snapped the pen in half and grounded her teeth.

"This is ridiculous! That's not even fair!" Complained the empath and laughter drifted over her shoulder.

"That's right. It's not fair but it happens, doll." Whirling around she saw two doors in front of her. In front of each door stood a guard with a shield in between them. Above the shield was a head from the shoulders up and it was the same down below it. The shields themselves were two different colors, one a red and the other a blue. It reminded the empath of the face cards you see on a deck of playing cards, each set holding a lance. Four sets of eyes watched her and she pinched the brim of her nose.

"Great. Just great." All four faces of the cards grinned.

**_A/n:_** muhahahaha Malchior singing... That scene was just hard to write.

I'm thinking about putting this story on hiatus for two reasons. One it's not really getting many reads and two… yes I admit it, I think I've bitten off more than I could chew. Bouncing back between this story and the Hunchback one is like a ongoing battle. Originally I didn't think this story would be so long but what can I saw… I write too much? So I suppose we shall see! Thanks for everyone who has reviewed so far and even started on my other stories (or have already read them). You guys are awesome! 3


End file.
